"The current, non-indigenous structure of representative democracy minimizes the possibilities of living together and in harmony with nature. We propose a system that is real democracy, in which it is the people who give orders and the government that obeys.
Our movement aims to be a model at a global level. All are invited to partake. We want to make the big leap into what it means to be a citizen of the planet. Planetary citizenship is our ideal. To us, the human body is like the planet and the planet is like a human body. We have been accused of being romantic, but I say we are being practical. This is reality. Reality is what we touch, it's what we smell in the fresh earth, free from contamination.
The political project for a harmonious development that we are constructing is in opposition to the politics of the West, which promotes development that persists in being inequitable, that fails to respect the rights of human beings, that is killing life and accelerating disaster.
How important is 'cultural identity' to our vision? I think that what's happening to humans and the earth has nothing to do with the color of skin. The denomination 'indigenous' is one that has been imposed on us. We are going for something beyond the issue of racial discrimination. In the end we are all human beings. We might use the denomination in a strategic way, now, but our main identity is as human beings."
-Alberto Pizango, AIDESEP. (National Organization of the Indigenous people of Peru).
Aloha kakou.
You just know the leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) are in town when you attempt to paddle from McCully bridge makai to the Ala Wai harbor anytime between November 11th-13th or to undertake within that time-span to surf at Kaisers, they are here to pontificate your future and decide what they deem best for you over a lavish lunch at the Hale Koa Hotel, if these 21 World "leaders" had any concept of human empathy they would by choice be conveyed to dine at the IHS Kaaahi Street and let the houseless participate in a banquet at the Hale Koa but then unlike locals "a disruption to their schedule" can hardly be afforded. Were you consulted directly for your input on your future? most likely not. You do however have a viable alternative in the Moana Nui Conference where like-minded people will generate non-exploitative ideologies.
The program for the Moana Nui Conference is enticing considering the line-up and calibre of quality speakers, please see the two day public agenda by clicking here:
http://ifg.org/programs/apec.html
A $10-15 voluntary donation over two days is in context a very generous offer considering the speakers and delegates who have to be flown in from foreign Countries, the Philippines, India, U.S.A, Malaysia, etc. To attend on one or both days would certainly enhance your knowledge on current environmental, militarization, ecosystem, globalization, resource exploitation, and other Pacific region concerns which are diametrically opposed to the APEC Conference where environmentalism has never been a premier focus other than for exploitation.
Locally small & medium sized business entrepreneurs at the APEC Business Advisory Council's SME Symposium are being charged $150 per person at the Halekulani Hotel on Thursday, November 10th to meet with CEOs regarding free trade agreements, exporting, and regulatory control information.
Critiques of the term "indigenous peoples" contend that it often excludes their inherent diversity and by imposition is a label consolidating a single identity not necessarily historically accurate.
The objectives of the APEC and Moana Nui Conferences diverge enormously the former represents big business, corporate industry free trade based on insatiable consumption, whereas the latter is about people, justice, and creating a fairer World. Just to take a representative sampling of the APEC agenda please click here:
http://apec2011ceosummit.com/agenda.html
Arnie Saiki & his team have done an outstanding job in organizing and coordinating a momentous event. You may have noticed the opening of the Moana Nui Conferences commences on both days at 8.30-45 a.m. with a "prayer" which assumedly is multi-denominational, as an opinion it is best to subscribe to the Robert Green Ingersolls maxim; "The hands that help are better than the lips that pray," surely an invitation for a voluntary joining of hands by participants stressing the importance of the occasion, the unity, the objectives, and wishing everyone enjoyment and fulfillment toward a successful favorable outcome is the priority.
The APEC delegates & CEOs are ruthless their vested interests are money, power, and control. The APEC Conference is about trade liberalization and ease of access for corporate exploitation free of Government restrictions. They are shrewd and can employ the best public relations personnel to spin media stories to their advantage under the ruse of benevolence. The APEC web-site is worth a browse through: http://www.apec2011hawaii.com/
For the Hawaiian National the application of the Scientific Method is beneficial coupled with traditional cultural wisdom. What is not needed is prayer but rationality, excuse the bias it may have been some kindly agreement with the Church of the Crossroads to use their property, not faulting their particular church as their track record on humanitarianism is excellent however if you read their Covenant they are Christian and believe in only one Akua.... their's! Why is there no prayer opening at the APEC Conference? Two reasons, first it is straight down to business after a welcome introduction and secondly they would not offend President Hu Jintao of China or the President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev or others who do not believe in an Akua or na Akua as in plural.
The opening of the Moana Nui conference could have began rather than with "prayers" a call to briefly remember in silence all those who have given and dedicated their lives to justice and human rights, and stated that locally Hawai'i had recently lost a very dear activist Pomai Kinney (RIP), if Pomai were alive and in good health he would most likely have attended the Moana Nui Conference. People it is still sad to view the photographs of his toy dolphin "Nohea," see:
http://maoliworld.ning.com/photo/nohea-o-nanakuli?context=user
His popoki "Sweetie," and the van he used to call "Honey boy." There is a lovely picture on Pomai's photo album here on Maoliworld of him taken outside Royal 'Iolani Palace where he inserted the words: "I have a vision," that is the collective kuleana to fulfill that vision.
http://maoliworld.ning.com/photo/iolani-palace-11409?context=user
On reflection of late it would be a mana'o that an annual award plaque with the consent of his 'ohana be presented to some individual or organization who had done outstanding work for Hawaiian Independence, there are numerous such individuals Dr. Keanu Sai, Professor Noenoe Silva, etc. or organizations such as Kahea, Hawaiian Independence Action Alliance, etc. it would be a marvelous way to perpetuate Pomai's legacy. In time somebody may start a group here on Maoliworld to honor him as many stories about him remain untold. Numerous malihini Worldwide took photographs of and with him at Waikiki that we will never see. He was certainly a larger than life character and always colorful it is still hard to believe he is gone such was his charisma.
The history of Hawai'i will eventually when told pono at some future date portray the missionaries as doing some good but overall their influence has been highly adverse, how they "overthrew" your traditional cultural Akua of Kanaloa, Milu, Wakea, Kane, Aumakua, Lono and replaced them with the single Akua of Judeo-christian mythology i.e. Yaweh, how they influenced and coerced Hawaiian Ali'i to their own ends. Where are the stories of the Hawaiian Nationals who recognized the menace and campaigned against it? They are completely concealed by the pages of history but they are certainly there if you look for them. A Hawaiian National lady once told me "We Hawaiians are observers," observe over time when you get the opportunity the writings of the American Robert Green Ingersolls (1833-1899):
http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/robert_ingersoll/
Of Avro Manhattan author of "The Vatican Billions," (click at the base of the web-link for further chapters):
http://www.cephas-library.com/catholic/catholic_vaticans_billions_1.html
Of the Briton Charles Bradlaugh (1833-1891): http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/charles_bradlaugh
Maybe now you can see the illusion to delude the masses to think and believe as sheep in order to fleece you which is little different from the fake "State of Hawaii."
While the Moana Nui Conference has a Pacific oriented theme a random sampling of the Global network of some 370 million indigenous people ranging from the Mansi of Siberia to the Giraavaru of the Maldive Islands, from the Tzotzil people of Mexico to the Chewa of Malawi, the Hawaiian National shares a common bond of solidarity. Some of the contemporary issues in foreign Countries overseas include:
Peru:
Approximately 31% of the Peruvian population is indigenous that is around 8.7 million of the 29 million National population. UNICEF statistics show 78% of Peru's indigenous children & adolescents live in poverty.
Peru loses 150,000 hectares of tropical forest annually, it is estimated 70% of the Peruvian Amazon is under concession to mining interests which Nationally cover almost a fifth of Peru. Hugo Blanco director of the Peruvian newspaper "Indigenous Struggle" (Lucha Indigena) notes: "Fortunately, the people's of the World are rising up in defense of nature and are looking for real democracy, as opposed to this system which is wrongly named 'democracy,' which consists of World Governance by multinational companies that subordinate Government and the media."
Rocilda Nunta of the Shipbo community of Ucayali in North-East Peru says: "People don't value the communities of the Amazon, they don't see that they are protecting nature, that thanks to them we have fresh air to breathe. Amazonian people are defenders of nature, not just for Peru, but for the World."
More than 200 towns have organized to stop mining and oil projects in Peru where low taxes, low environmental and safety controls, or indeed low consultation with local townships are an incentive to mining companies looking for mineral concessions. Mining accounts for more than 60% of Peruvian export earnings which employs only 1% of Peruvians in this sector. Some 300,000 Peruvians have been poisoned by the activities of mining companies according to CONACAMI an organization that assists affected communities. For further data please see:
Canada:
Aside from Saudi Arabia, Canada has the 2nd largest oil reserves in the World and is the biggest exporter of oil to the U.S. In Alberta the First Nation's People of Enoch Cree, Beacer Lake, and Athabasca Chipewyan won a Federal Court case for the protection of caribou facing decimation from tar mining in the region. 61 First Nations have united to oppose a 727 mile pipeline to convey tar sands from Alberta to the West Coast of Canada with the slogan "Tar sands is blood oil," you can obtain information about tar sands mining by clicking here:
http://peopleandplanet.org/tarsands/about-tarsands
India:
The some 8,000 Dongria Kondh People of Orissa won a major Legal victory over the UK mining firm Vedanta Resources when the Indian Government refused the Company permission to mine a $2 billion deposit of bauxite in the Nivamgiri Hills. You can read about this victory here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/aug/24/vedanta-mining-industry-india
The Dongria People call themselves Jharnia which means "protector of streams."
Nigeria:
The Ogoni People domiciled at the mouth of the river Niger are due compensation from Shell petroleum as a result of two enormous oil spills which devastated the local environment and livelihood of the Ogoni people. Their support group is accessible here:
Information about their legal battle here:
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-10-nigerians-billion-shell-oil.html
Chile:
The Mapuche People have campaigned against a new governmental Law known as the "Monsanto Law" (International Convention for the Protection of new Plant Varieties or UPOV91) preventing the traditional hoarding of seeds by its indigenous people in preference to reliance on multinational corporations hybrid or genetically modified seeds and products. How this Law affects the Mapuche is outlined here:
http://www.srooster.com/?p=762
Australia:
Indigenous people comprise 2.4% of the Australian populace according to its census data. A $30.9 billion project by Woodside Energy to develop a liquefied natural gas plant at James Price Point in Kimberley, Western Australia has run into major opposition thanks to those opposed to the proposed mining techniques whose catch call is "A people cannot be separated from their culture." The area is the ancestral home of the Bardi people and even contains 130 million year-old dinosaur prints, you can obtain further campaign data by clicking here:
Malaysia:
The Penan people are renowned for the concept of "molong" that of not taking more than is necessary from nature in this respect they have a kinship with the Hawaiian National in malama ka 'aina, Malaysia has the highest rate of deforestation on Earth. Awhile back they won a significant legal victory against the giant oil palm firm Shin Yang who were clearing land for the Murum Dam Project. The Penang people of Sarawak & Brunei number some 16,000 a percentage of whom retain a traditional nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle. You can learn about their victory by clicking here:
Or here:
http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/7479
Here is an enthralling account of Penan culture, to view more appreciatively you may need to click "view" on your computer screen, on the drop down menu click on "zoom in" for greater clarity:
http://www1.american.edu/TED/penan.htm
Republic of Congo:
Along with the Central African Republic which ratified International Labor Organization ILO Convention No. 169 are the only two African Nations which make legal provision for the protection of their indigenous people. On February 25th this year the Republic of Congo passed a Law signed by President Nguesso to prevent the marginalization of ten percent of its citizenry whom are constituted as indigenous people including the Pygmies who had previously been excluded from government health services and the educational system, this Law falls short however in not incorporating the right to free, prior, and informed consent on developments that directly affect them from local to National level and excludes certain judicial assistance. Please see:
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_norm/@normes/documents/publication/wcms_106474.pdf
Greece:
Prior to the advent of the Greek language those who peopled the Aegean Sea area were referred to as "Pelasgians" as that language developed in ancient Greece. With the financial crisis of late here is a newspaper article on how some Greeks are finding solace in returning to the 'aina:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/how-greeks-were-driven-back-to-the-land-2372051.html
Helpful links for further information:
Issues & resources, indigenous people's:
www.indigenouspeoplesissues.com
Survival International:
Indigenous Environmental network:
Friends of the Earth International:
Resources for indigenous cultures of the World:
A good guide to the U.N. Declaration of Rights on Indigenous Peoples can be found here, although non-binding the Declaration does provide an ethical blueprint:
http://www.hreoc.gov.au/social_justice/declaration/index.html
In conclusion, wishing all the participants at the Moana Nui Conference every success the hopes and desires of so many are with you all. Mahalo nui loa to the organizers. In this short banquet of life this mere flash of a firefly in the night the kuleana is to malama each other ke kahi i ke kahi.
Next Monday the 31st of October is Happy Halloween! Here is a recipe for traditional pumpkin bread a Halloween treat for the keiki:
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/10/indigenous-peoples-have-celebrated-the-pumpin-for centuries
-E 'Onipa'a.
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